Having seen the recent success of the casino-driven entertainment industry in Singapore and Macau, Japanese lawmakers and business leaders are slowly recognizing the potentials of casinos and related industries in promoting the country's tourism industry.

Since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, a group of more than 130 lawmakers, called the Diet Member Alliance for Promotion of Integrated Resort with Casinos, have stepped up their efforts in pushing for the passage of a legislation that would legalize casino operations in the country.

The political alliance has studied the economic impact of casinos and stresses that gambling establishments and related industries could become a huge source of tax revenues, especially for rebuilding the areas ravaged by last year's triple disasters.

Issei Koga, an MP from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and leader of the alliance, has repeatedly told local media that prompt passage of a legislation enabling the construction of casino resorts will be vital to the success of the government's revenue earning efforts.

Koga said that in addition, local governments and resort operators, including those in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Nagasaki on Kyushu Island, would be able to stimulate local tourism if the proposed legislation legalizing casinos would be approved.

According to reports, Governor Ichiro Matsui of the Osaka Prefecture, who visited the Marina Bay Sands casino complex in Singapore last month, has urged the resort developer to bid on a casino project in Osaka after Japan enacts laws authorizing casinos operations.

In line with the governor's efforts, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who also visited casino facilities in Macau when he was Governor of Osaka, has long insisted on bringing casinos to the city's bay area, stressing that it could be a big industry with an estimated value of 150 billion yen (about 1.8 billion US dollars) in Osaka alone.Hashimoto said that possible tax revenues from casino establishments could be used to fund social welfare programs.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted last year by two local news agencies showed that more than 60 percent of the respondents said that they would support the move to legalize casinos.

Estimates by experts have put the potential revenues from the gambling industry from 10 billion to 44 billion dollars a year.

However, some sectors have expressed their apprehension on the possible adverse effects of casinos on the Japanese, particularly the young. Many critics say that introducing casinos or building casino-related facilities would result in an increase in gambling addiction and crimes.

Some have pointed out it would also give even more power to Japan's organized crime syndicates, known as the Yakuza.

But Kenji Sasaki, a travel analyst, said that the Japanese public must not focus too much on the negative impact of the proposed measure.

He said that people should look at the huge potentials of casinos in revitalizing local economies, as well as the promise of bigger tax revenues.

Sasaki cited the example of Singapore where there had been no reports of the rise of the number of gambling addicts and organized crime syndicates.

He said that the Japanese government must find ways to attract more foreign tourists and the setting up of casinos and other entertainment facilities is the best way to do this.